*Update for 12/21/09*

Restock!

Hot Toys The Dark Knight Two-Face/Harvey Dent

Hot Toys Goemon the MOVIE:
Goemon Ishikawa
Goemon Saizo
Goemon ChaCha Asia

Hot Toys Resident Evil 5
Chris Redfield BSAA version

Sideshow G.I.JOE
Cobra Commander Cobra Officer

Sideshow Star Wars
Stormtrooper
Utapau Trooper

DID WWII
Heinz Guderian

I saw this review of the amazing new Hot Toys DX01 Joker on YouTube and thought I would share it with you. They mention a competitor of ours as a source to get the TrueType body, but we carry these as well.

*Update for 12/16/09*

New Breakdowns & PreOrder!

Hot Toys Resident Evil 5 Albert Wesker Midnight Version

Dragon WWII German Anton Bohm

Sideshow Star Wars Sandtrooper Corporal ($98.99, The Lowest Price Allowed By Sideshow): We are now accepting Pre Orders for the Sideshow Star Wars Sandtrooper Corporal. Upon purchase, you will be charged in full for this preorder item including shipping. It will be shipped to you as soon as we receive it from Sideshow. This item is scheduled to ship 2nd Quarter of 2010, which means between April and June. Toy Anxiety cannot be held responsible for manufacturer and or shipping delays.

*Update for 12/15/09*

New Breakdowns & Restock!

Hot Toys The Dark Knight DX01 The Joker

Dragon WWII German Pieter Volpert

Dragon WWII German Edvard Borsheim

True Type African American Slim & Caucasian (standard TT)

Sideshow Indiana Jones Henry Jones Sr.

Dragon Detective Chow

In The Past Toys WWII German Female Luftwaffe Helferin and Oberhelferin

When all the buzz started about ZhuZhu Hamsters, one of the comments we received was whether PETA would support such “fake” animals.  So we asked for a statement from PETA, here is there official statement:

Toys such as Zhu Zhu hamsters and other robotic animals give kids an opportunity to play and cuddle with their furry friends without contributing to animal overpopulation. PETA’s undercover <https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&amp;page=UserAction&amp;id=1133&amp;formPg=explanation> investigations <http://www.petsmartcruelty.com/investigation_manchester.asp> have revealed that small animals are often bred and abused just as puppies in puppy mills—and just as kittens—are. Facilities breed hundreds of thousands of animals every year in deplorable conditions in order to supply pet stores with animals, compounding the overpopulation crisis. These deplorable mills will continue to operate and profit from the misery that they produce until people stop buying ALL animals from pet stores.

Decent Community and Milton Bradley have paired up to produce a chill and far out new board game called “DECE”. The much anticipated game is designed for participants to “embrace their weirdness through odd challenges, side games, exceptional performances, and measures of uniqueness.” 

Milton Bradley had been trying like mofos to strike a deal with the Community in an effort to bring their brand of decency to a board game. “We approached Decent Community because we felt their trademark funky style would translate beautifully into a game experience,” said Mr. Milton Bradley, the head spokesman for Milton Bradley. “To say we funked it out would be like saying Salma Hayek’s tits are just OK.”

The Community is also pleased with how the game turned out. “If this game were a chick, I’d fuck her brains out,” said Tubesteak.

You can order the DECE board game from this website. You can also probably pick it up at toy stores and sex shops in your local community. But buy it soon, because DECE is expected to sell like ghetto crack this Christmas season.

If you’re looking for a high tech learning toy this season, we high recommend Leapfrog’s TAG and TAG Junior reading systems.  Both marry technology with collections of award winning books. Do they replace reading a book with your child? Of course not–but they will encourage your kids to explore and “read” books on their own.

Full review and shopping info for both

TAG Reading System

TAG Junior Reading System

We’d skip their My Pal Scout–this is designed to be an interactive pet for toddlers.  We found him to be less than huggable and the skills he’s meant to teach are better taught with real life experiences.  All of the current interactive, downloadable dolls on the market pale in comparison to the old Actimates from Microsoft.  Their original Barney really became Barney for little children. It was truly magical to watch kids interact with this doll.  This doll doesn’t  compare.

The Sideshow and Hot Toys line of 12-inch Batman figures represents the pinnacle of high-end toys, bringing to a collector’s shelf all that was and is awesome about Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The detail on the expressions, every smeared bit of makeup on The Joker’s face or indent in Batman’s thick rubber armor is reflected in these items. The sculptors have truly outdone themselves.

Having already seen the release of multiple Batman Begins and revamped TDK Batman, Bruce Wayne, The Joker, Bank Heist Joker and Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Hot Toys now brings us a figure that captures one of the most exciting scenes in the film, which sees Batman forced to use echolocation to find his enemies, thus getting the signature all-white eyes we see so often in the comics. It’s an awesome part of the movie and makes a great figure.

*Update for 12/07/09*

New TrueType Section, Newly Added Older Figure Parts & Restock!

Hot Toys TrueType Parts

Amok Time Night of the Living Dead Cemetary Zombie

Dragon Danger Girl Abbey Chase

Sideshow Army of Darkness Ash, Evil Ash & S-Mart Ash (Various Parts)

Blue Box King of Fighters Kyo Kusanagi

Hot Toys Terminator Salvation John Connor
Hot Toys Terminator Salvation Marcus Wright

Sideshow Star Wars Stormtrooper (nearly out of Stormtroopers, and cannot get more)
Sideshow Star Wars Sandtrooper
Sideshow Star Wars Lando Calrissian
Sideshow Indiana Jones Henry Jones

After the consumer group, Good Guide, raised issues about their finding on the level of antimony in the Zhu Zhu hamsters, the government agency is beginning a probe on the issue. Cepia LLC, the manufacturer of the Zhu Zhu Hamsters, is standing by the safety of their toys.   Read the story from Reuters.

Alternatives to Zhu Zhu Hamsters

Zhu Zhu Hamsters are getting all the media coverage (yes, I participated in some of it), but they are certainly not the only really special novelty toys of the season.  Here’s a list of other toys that may just do the trick!

Other cute animals that have a little extra something.

Yakety Yaks (Mary Meyer)  Each of these animals make a noise.  There is a pig, a monkey, an owl, a lamb, a bear and dogs.  They don’t run around like Zhu Zhus but they are pretty cute on their own. Read our review.

Kota & Pals Stompers (Hasbro) –   These little dinos are seriously fun–they not only roar they walk.  Read our Review. Watch our video.

FurReal Friends Newborn Puppy (Hasbro)- This a very sweet little puppy that wags his tail and makes little barking sounds. This is one of many in this line–there are dogs, cats, a panda, a bear.  We like the dogs the best. (In interest of full disclosure -we’re not big cat people.) We also have not received safety verification forms on these little guys–so there is no official review on our site.

Two other really cool novelty toys that should not be missed:

Hexbug Nanos (Innovation First) -Each of these small robotic bugs come in a test-tube like container.  We see that the price has come down since we first reviewed them–they are now $7.99.  Turn them on and they really are like little bugs!  They come in lots of colors and are fun to pull out of a pocket or bagpack.  Read our full review.
Watch our videos:

Zhu Zhu Hamster play with Hexbug NANOS

Mr. Robot Dances with Hexbug NANOS

Doodle Car (Day Dream Toys)- We love these super cool cars that follow lines you draw with a washable marker.  Pretty cool. Company also has seasonal downloads of roadways you can print and use with their cars. Read our full review.  Watch our video.

The consumer group Good Guide has raised issues about the safety of the Zhu Zhu Hamsters.   To read more about our take on them, read our article Zhu Zhu Hamster Pets: What You Need to Know about the Hot Little Critters.   We have not received a signed  safety verification form from Cepia LLC for the Zhu Zhu Hamsters.  (Hence we can not consider them for an award from our Unlike Good Guide we do not do independent testing–we do require companies to sign a safety verification form. However we do not look at the wide range of chemicals/minerals/toxins that Good Guide indicates it looks at on their site.

Princess Tiana dolls and toys from the upcoming Disney movie The Frog and The Princess are flying off store shelves. Not just the dolls but the wedding dress too? Read more by using the link below:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

Ohmygoodness, these little critters are the cutest things ever! How much fun are these? Have you been bitten by the Zhu Zhu bug yet? Let me tell you, there’s hundreds of hours of fun for you and your children, or your friend’s children or even secretly just for you with these adorable little folk. I don’t usually go bonkers over fuzzy little items but this one has me giddy. Hope you love having and giving these as much as I do. To see what these are all about, just click the link below. Have fun fun fun!

Jeff

Zhu Zhu Pets – Funhouse Set with Hamster

Hilary Stout’s article in The New York Times,  With New Toys, More Assembly Required , correctly points out what we’ve been observing and writing about for years.  You need to be ready to roll up your sleeves, arm yourself with a screwdriver, sometimes a power drill — all to put a toy together.  If you’re not particularly handy, we  recommend that you enlist the assistance of the  store or a relative that doesn’t break out in a cold sweat when confronted with complicated assembly instructions.  And whatever you do, don’t start at midnight on Christmas Eve–it’s almost a surefire recipe for tears and spousal strife.

That said…the article then goes on to talk about LEGO sets with too many pieces.  Here, we have to disagree.  The beauty of LEGO sets is that there are sets for all builders…beginners to the most advanced.  Most hard core LEGO fans will tell you that the company has made it too easy for builders with the new bagging technique.  Rather than open the box and find several hundred pieces — the company now pre-sorts the builds.  For LEGO builders of the past– this new approach has been labeled strictly for whimps!  You can hear many a parent say “in my day, we had to go through each and every piece” after we walked five long miles from school.

One of the big messages we try to get out each year is to start at the beginning.  If you are doing all of the building and your child is just watching you–you’ve brought home the wrong set.  The idea of these sets and why they appeal to kids — is that they build a child’s sense of what they can accomplish.  Learning how to read and follow step-by-step instructions is huge.  Having the patience to stick with a project – that not everything is instantaneous – is an important life lesson.

It is no surprise to us that LEGO has continued to do well in these tough times and has maintained a strong presence in an otherwise  shrinking and battered  toy industry.  They have maintained their core mission by giving kids fun kits to build, they’ve improved their directions and they have stayed current by bring in themes and licenses that are attractive to their target audience. The most sought after LEGO kits from our testers are in fact the smaller sets where kids can build a car or Star Wars vehicle and then play with it.  It is that sense of accomplishment that makes them ask for more. The focus is on building self-esteem and confidence and having fun–not how many pieces you can handle.

We also know that building develops the following skills: visual discrimination,  fine-motor, spatial relations, math, reading, ability to follow directions in sequence and problem solving skills.   We want both our sons and daughters to be competitive in math and engineering – it begins with these hands-on experiences. So start small.  It’s like my grandmother always used to say, don’t worry about the size, buy what fits.

For  reviews of our top-rated construction toys–visit www.toyportfolio.com.

Another photo review of a 1/6 scale fighter pilot figure. Here is the Hot Toys F/A-18 Hornet Pilot from their US Aircrew / Aviator series figures.

This is a re-issue/upgraded version since Hot Toys made an F-18 pilot before featuring a Will Smith headsculpt.

Headsculpt is a Val Kilmer look-alike. Body is a TrueType-38 with bendy hands/cloth aviator gloves and boot-feet (molded plastic).

The CWU-27/P Nomex flight suit with Captain rank insignia on shoulders, brown/tan undershirt. Helmet bag, watch and aviator sunglasses. This figure features the cloth Garrison Cap and 4 unit patches/1 american flag patch (velcro attachment).

CSU-15/P Anti-G suit (gravity pants)/Leg garters and the CSU-17/P Anti-G vest.

MA-2 Torso harness and Survival vest with the LPU-23/P life-preserver.

Notice the connection of the hose from the Anti-G vest to the Survival vest. Shown above are the accessories (same also with the F-4 Phantom pilot figure) located on the Survival vest pouches (exclude the watch and sunglasses).

The HGU-68/P Tactical Aircrew (TACAIR) helmet with the MBU-20/P oxygen mask, note the print/markings at the back of the helmet. Also includes a cloth gray skull-cap.

Overall rating is 4.5 out of 5. Same with the F-4 Phantom pilot figure fragile small parts but everything else is great! Wish they made the carabiners/hook clamps in metal instead of plastic. Amazing details and accurate reproduction of a fighter pilot.

Hot Toys also made at least 4 pilot figures using the old TrueType body (F22 Raptor, F14 Tomcat, F18 Hornet, F16 Falcon) and reintroduced the F18 (this one) and F14 Pilots using the newer TrueType-38 body, new headsculpts, and upgraded hands and aviator boots. The F4 phantom Pilot is a new released. I’m not sure about the old released Blue Angels Pilot if it was a Hot Toys product.

*Update for 12/03/09*

New Product & Restock!

Hot Toys TrueType Figure: African American (Slim Version)

SideShow Young Frankenstein Igor and Dr. Frankenstein

This is a photo review of the 1/6 Hot Toys USMC F-4 Phantom Pilot featuring the Tiger Stripe flight suit.

I believe this figure is based on a Vietnam era F-4 pilot. The F-4 Phantom was widely used during Vietnam War.

Tiger-Stripes flight suit and a red undershirt (but i noticed in the box the shirt is brown in color). Pistol belt is cloth/metal material, Pistol is a M1911 with leather holster.

The aviator sunglasses and watch nicely done and detailed. Aviator boots is a boot-feet (molded plastic), having sockets for the foot peg of the Hot Toys body.

The MK-2A Anti-G Suit (or Gravity pants) with Functional laces/strap and leg garters. Pilots wear these for proper blood circulation when engaged in high-G flight manuevers.

MA2 Torso Harness.

Survival vest with LPU-23/P life-preserver and Helmet bag. In the event their planes crashed, pilots must be equipped with survival gears to aid them while waiting for rescue to arrive.

The survival vest includes Angle head flashlight, AN/PRC-90 radio, MK79 pen flares and launcher, water bottle, military whistle, pocket knife, shroud knife. All pouches in the vest are functional. This pilot figure carries a M1911 pistol, during Vietnam conflict there was a high rate of aircrafts being shot down in hostile territory, so pilots were armed just in case.

Headsculpt is a young Sean Connery or a Daniel Craig look-alike, i think! Body of course is a Hot Toys TrueType-38 white caucasian (but the skin tone of head and body is different, head being darker than the body) with boot-feet and bendy hands with cloth aviator gloves.

The APH-6/A Aircrew helmet with A-13A oxygen mask. The helmet is made of hard plastic or i think a PVC material? The rivets along the helmet is metal. It has rubber padding inside. Also included is a gray cotton skull-cap.

If you want to see actual gears of military pilots you can check this website http://www.aeromiltech.com/Home/tabid/307/Default.aspx

Overall i rate this figure 4.5 out of 5 stars. The o.5 less is for the small fragile parts, everything else is simply amazing! Comparing to a real photo of a actual fighter pilot, the gears are almost if not exactly the same on this figure! If your into collecting military model aircrafts and pilot figures, this one is a must-buy, very nice/detailed 1/6 scale (12 inch) figure!

In seasons past, ELMO is the toy we get all the calls for -someone in desperate need for the latest version of the original Tickle Me Elmo Doll.  We have particular fondness for the original – Joanne brought Elmo on the TODAY Show – Bryant Gumbel loved it–and played with it for the entire show.

This season, ELMO is being completely ignored.  A smaller, perhaps cuter critter has grabbed the imagination of children and media outlets everywhere -even though ELMO  tells jokes this year as well as any Borscht Belt comedian. Oh and yes,  he’s  still throwing kisses…it could break your heart.  Watch our video.